Editor’s Note: This blog post is part of an ongoing series of posts dedicated to K-12 education policy in Mississippi. *** By Grace Breazeale I K-12 Policy Associate Mississippi’s high school graduation rate has steadily risen over the past five years, which would typically be a cause for celebration. But in this case, the rise in…
Read MoreMississippi First Follows the Journey of the Early Learning Collaborative Act
Jackson, Mississippi—On April 17, 2023, Mississippi celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the Early Learning Collaborative Act. From a fractured early education landscape before the passage of the historic bill to a strong and thriving pre-K program 10 years later, we celebrate the success of the Early Learning Collaborative Act, which has now served nearly 26,000…
Read MoreFair Pay for Fair Work
Editor’s Note: This post is one in an ongoing series of posts dedicated to early education policy in Mississippi. *** By Micayla Tatum I Director of Early Childhood Policy A lack of wage parity is a longstanding issue in the early childhood profession. Childcare teachers, Head Start teachers, and public pre-K teachers have vastly different salaries and access…
Read More2023 Legislative Review
By Toren Ballard I Director of K-12 Policy In terms of education policy, the 2023 legislative session will likely be remembered primarily for the legislation that didn’t pass rather than the legislation that did. This trend is headlined by the 11th hour effort to amend the MAEP school funding formula—part of a plan to “fully…
Read MoreWe Raised The Rate: 2023 Pre-K Legislative Review
By Micayla Tatum I Director of Early Childhood Policy After four legislative sessions, we are excited to announce that our bill to permanently raise the per-pupil funding rate, HB 817, passed! The Governor signed the bill into law on April 17. This bill increases the state share of per-pupil pre-K funds from $2,150 to a…
Read MoreEnsuring the Effectiveness of Social-Emotional Learning
Editor’s Note: This blog post is part of an ongoing series of posts dedicated to K-12 education policy in Mississippi. *** By Grace Breazeale I K-12 Policy Associate In early 2021, the Mississippi Department of Education released its first-ever social-emotional learning (SEL) standards. The release of these standards was a positive step towards increasing attention on…
Read MoreBrookhaven Early Learning Collaborative
Brookhaven Early Learning Collaborative The Brookhaven Early Learning Collaborative has three sites: Mamie Martin Elementary School, Richardson Head Start, and New Zion Head Start. It has served 140 four-year-olds since its founding in 2022. Number of Classrooms in ELC 7 Students Served in 2022-2023 140 Number of Sites in ELC 3 “The collaborative has brought…
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